Manage your procurement to minimise environmental impacts

You will buy a variety of goods and services as an office business, from paper to computers to catering and cleaning services.

You can reduce the environmental impact of the goods and services you purchase. You could also reduce your costs by following green or sustainable procurement principles.

Consider the environmental impacts during the full life cycle of a product or service when buying, including:

• what raw materials are used to manufacture the product or provide the service
• how the product is produced and the energy used
• how the product or service will perform in use, eg will it use energy, water, produce waste
• how much it will cost to dispose of the product and the environmental impacts of disposal
• the potential for reuse or recycling the product
• the environmental performance of your suppliers.

Before buying any goods, consider first whether the product or service needs to be bought at all. Can your purchasing policy help your business develop as part of the circular economy?

NIBUSINESSINFO: Supply chain efficiency

Zero Waste Scotland: Circular procurement

WRAP: The circular economy

NetRegs: Buying sustainable goods and services

In this Guideline

Introduction - What is an EMS?

What are the benefits of an EMS and what is involved?

Types of Environmental Management Systems

How can NetRegs help you implement an EMS?

Implementing an EMS – getting started

Why produce environmental reports

EMS Case study - CMS Window Systems

EMS Case Study - Ross-Shire Engineering

Manage your purchases to minimise their environmental impacts